ACL's Queensland director Wendy Francis said Justice Ann Lyons' ruling to eliminate two children's biological fathers from their birth certificates was lying to the children about their origins and denying them their human rights under international law.

"Governments have a duty to always act in the best interest of the child. Justice Lyons' ruling means urgent legislative changes are needed to put the rights of children ahead of the desires of adults," Ms Francis said.

The ACL’s monthly newsletter, which includes a column from ACL’s Managing Director Lyle Shelton, is out now. This month’s newsletter includes stories on same-sex marriage in NSW, abortion in Tasmania, and chaplaincy in Queensland. Click here to read the December newsletter.

Foetal rights bill Zoe’s Law today passed its first significant hurdle as the bill makes its way through the New South Wales Parliament. The bill was put to a conscience vote in the Legislative Assembly and was passed by a margin of 63 votes to 26.

Zoe’s Law seeks to extend the offence of grievous bodily harm to an unborn child. If the bill is passed by both houses of parliament, it would be the first time in NSW law that the separate personhood of an unborn child has been recognised in in confined circumstances.

The bill is named in honour of Zoe Donegan who was stillborn after her mother Brodie, then 36 weeks pregnant, was hit by a car.

Opponents of the bill have criticised it as an attack on abortion rights, despite the fact the bill explicitly has no impact on medical procedures.

Zoe's Law will now be sent to the Legislative Council where Christian Democratic Party MP Fred Nile will have carriage of the bill.

Comments from Members of the Legislative Council (MLCs) during last week’s debate on same-sex marriage in New South Wales Legislative Council, which was defeated by a margin of 21 votes to 19, shows grassroots activism played a part in the vote.

Many MLCs spoke to the bill. The Nationals Richard Colless told the parliament that while he had received almost 4,000 emails opposing the bill he had only received 500 emails from constituents asking him to support the change.

Mr Colless also quote a legal opinion commissioned by the Australian Christian Lobby and provided by Neville Rochow SC and F C Brohier and other legal experts which highlighted significant technical flaws in the legislation.

Labor MLC Greg Donnelly defended the right of members to approach the marriage debate from a religious standpoint.

“Just because a person holds religious convictions to assist them in forming opinions—indeed, their conscience—does not lead to the conclusion that their position is suspect and should be discounted or dismissed out of hand,” he said.

Prior to the parliamentary debate, NSW Premier Barry O’Farrell announced he would not support a state-based marriage bill, despite being a supporter of same-sex marriage. Christian Democratic Party Leader Fred Nile said he had urged Mr O’Farrell to make his position known publicly. Rev Nile said the Premier’s announcement was the decisive moment in the debate.

“It certainly had an effect on some Coalition members and that was the reason I asked him to issue the statement,” Mr Nile said.

The bill’s defeat in the Legislative Council means it will not proceed to the lower house.

Hansard of the two-day debate can be viewed via these two links below.

In the last week, the ACL has been quoted in the media on issues such as the defeat of the NSW same-sex marriage bill, Federal Government moves on asylum seekers, and internet filters in the UK. See below for links to mentions in the media.

On Wednesday, the Sydney Morning Herald reported that same-sex marriage legislation will be debated in the NSW parliament next week. This comes as the ACT passed laws this week allowing same-sex couples to marry.

It is important we persuade NSW parliamentarians to uphold the institution of marriage by voting against this bill. Even though the federal government has vowed to challenge state-based marriage laws in the High Court, we can't simply assume there will be a good result.

Therefore we need your support; we encourage you to email, write letters, and telephone your MPs. Encourage them to remember why marriage is important. It provides a natural, timeless, and sustainable foundation for children and our society.

You can send an email to members of the NSW parliament by following this link. You will also find here some resources and points you can use to help you frame your correspondence.

If you've got an iPhone, you can do all of this as well using our new mobile app. This app also allows you to call members of the NSW parliament on your mobile phone.

The conviction of a Sydney brothel owner for holding young Malaysian students in sex servitude demonstrates the need for tougher measures to combat human trafficking, the Australian Christian Lobby said.

ACL said the New South Wales Government's proposed brothel-licensing regime would not work and that the government needed to tackle the demand for prostituted and trafficked women if it was serious about ending human trafficking.

"Many people would find it hard to believe that in the 21st century girls in New South Wales are forced to work in sex slavery for up to 20 hours a day to pay off a $5,000 debt," ACL Human Trafficking spokesperson Wendy Francis said.

“The conviction of Chee Mei Wong’s has highlighted the ugly and brutal reality of human trafficking and the sex-slave trade.

“This is a scourge that cannot be ignored and the New South Wales Government needs to act urgently to tackle this problem,” she said.

ACL called on the New South Wales Government to adopt the successful approach pioneered in Sweden, implemented now by a growing list of countries, and prosecute the purchase of sex.

“New South Wales needs a brand new approach in dealing with these problems. Studies of the Swedish approach have shown the progress that can be made by criminalising the purchase of sex,” Ms Francis said.

ACL also called for local councils to be given the power to prohibit the establishment of brothels within its local government area.

Ms Francis said it was important to give local decision makers the power to reflect the concerns and wishes of their communities.

The University of Sydney is holding a one-day conference in 2013 on The Scope and Limits of Religious Freedom in Australia.

The conference will explore the way in which issues of freedom of religion are now emerging as contested matters in western democracies, in particular the United States, Britain and Australia. Speakers will present ideas on these issues from a variety of perspectives.

Guest speaker:

Professor Robin Fretwell Wilson (pictured left) - Professor of Law at Washington & Lee University School of Law